Car Review: 2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur

2006 Bentley Continental Flying Spur

PHOTO: Handout, Bentley

By Graeme Fletcher, Canwest News Service

Originally published: August 10, 2011

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MEDIUM

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Bentley has always been synonymous with speed and racing, a heritage that can be traced all the way back to W. O. Bentley and the famed Bentley Boys. The marque’s latest vehicle, which was inspired by the 1952 Bentley R-Type Continental and the 1957 Continental Flying Spur, continues the trend. It’s also a very different car from the Bentleys of just a decade or so ago — it’s not only modern, it is being touted as the fastest four-door production car in the world. Try a top speed of 312 kilometres an hour!

Accelerating something that tips the scales at marginally less then a three- bedroom semi to this sort of speed obviously takes a whack of power. Thankfully, the Flying Spur lives up to its name as there is a twin-turbo, 6.0-litre, 12- cylinder engine under its hood. The reason this massive sedan moves so swiftly comes down to grunt — 552 horsepower and no less than 479 pound-feet of torque at an amazingly low 1,600 rpm.

The instant you tromp the gas, the Bentley pulls, taking just 5.2 seconds to reach 100 km/h. Think about it for a moment: The Flying Spur is capable of out-dragging some of the world’s fastest cars, despite its 2,465-kilogram mass.

However, where this monster truly excels is in the mid-range. Forget the largesse and leather-lined luxury it totes around, because it zips between 80 and 120 km/h in just 3.3 seconds — 1.2 seconds faster than the Dodge Charger SRT8 and just 0.2 seconds behind the Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

So, what’s the catch? Well, when you bury the gas pedal, the fuel economy gauge displays 99 litres per 100 km. Yes, a litre of fuel for every kilometre driven at full throttle. Even when it dropped back to the test average of 29.4 L/100 km, it still murdered my wallet.

To ensure all those galloping stallions get to the pavement with minimum fuss, the Flying Spur uses a top-notch all-wheel-drive system and a six-speed automatic transmission that includes a manual mode. The result is a car that moves off the line with alarming speed but without so much as a chirp from its massive P275/35R20 tires.

It also handles better than one expects. With a good driver-adjustable damping system supporting the car, it rocks through a corner without the usual roll. The steering is also nicely weighted and the turn-in commendably fast for such a heavy car. It all comes together with an unexpected precision. If things go awry, there’s always the electronic stability system waiting in the wings.

The brakes are also up to the job of slowing the hefty automobile. The 15.9-inch front and 13.2-inch rear vented rotors are the largest fitted to a production car. Hammer the pedal and the Spur’s stopping distances come in at just 41 metres from 100 km/h, which, again, is nothing short of amazing. They are also remarkably fade-free given the workload, and the system has a decent pedal feel, which is a marked departure from Bentleys of yore.

The other side of the Flying Spur — unbridled opulence — also comes through loud and clear. Consider the leather: It’s not only found on the seats, dash, door panels, head lining and sun visors, it is also wrapped lovingly around the door posts and kick panels. Obviously, all this real estate requires a ton of leather — 11 full hides to be exact. This is then balanced with some of the nicest burl walnut offered in all of autodom and a tasteful splash of chrome. The effect is as warm, welcoming and comfortable as it is bespoke.

The 16-way power front seats are heated and cooled, the audio package is up to snuff and the climate control system is effective. Indeed, it is all about as far removed from recent Bentleys as is possible. I’m convinced the Redline and its ilk were designed and built alongside Noah’s ark. The only throwbacks are the chromed organ stops that open and close the air vents.

In the back seat, the opulence and pampering continues. The seats are wonderfully comfortable, there are separate climate controls for the outboard passengers and that lovely leather is also heated and cooled. My daughter was so impressed she tried to climb into the car every time we walked by it — a first. She also adopted a my-poopy-diaper- does-not-stink attitude once strapped into her safety seat, which seems only fitting for a ride worth almost as much as a modest house.

So far so good. There are, however, some glaring omissions. For example, while there is a powered rear sunshade, there are none for the side windows. Come on, how is one supposed to remain aloof when the peasants can peer in? Seriously, though, the navigation system takes an age when you want to zoom in (most systems are instantaneous), and there is no back-up camera or pictogram to show where a potential body-wrinkling obstacle lies. Instead, there’s a really annoying beep that tells you something is near a part of the car you can’t see. Thanks.

The other foible has to do with the paddle shifters for the manual portion of the automatic transmission. They are mounted to the steering column, not the steering wheel. Consequently, you are forced to take your hand off the steering wheel to initiate a shift when any steering is dialled in. Considering the engineering excellence found throughout the rest of the Flying Spur, this really is not very clever.

Whining aside, the new Bentley Continental Flying Spur is a wonderful machine. On one hand, it is beyond luxurious. On the other, it features state-of-the-art engineering, incredible speed and remarkable agility for such a large, heavy car.

Simply stated, it deserves the Bentley badge that adorns its sexy form.